Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
9 [a]I will sing a new song to you, my God;
on a ten-stringed lyre I will play music for you.[b]
10 You grant victory to kings
and deliverance to your servant David from the cruel sword.[c]
11 Deliver me and rescue me
from the hands of foreign foes
whose mouths utter lies
and whose right hands are raised to swear to untruths.[d]
12 [e]May our sons in their youth
be like carefully nurtured plants,
and may our daughters be like pillars
designed to adorn a palace.[f]
13 May our barns be filled
with every kind of crop.
May our sheep increase by thousands,
by tens of thousands in our fields,[g]
14 and may our cattle be well fed.[h]
May there be no breach in our walls,
no going into exile,
no cries of distress in our streets.
15 Blessed are the people for whom this is true;
blessed[i] are the people whose God is the Lord.
Solomon on the Day of His Wedding[a]
Companions:
6 What is this coming up from the desert
like a column of smoke,
perfumed with myrrh and frankincense
and with all the fragrant spices of the merchant?
7 Look, it is Solomon being carried in his litter,
and escorted by sixty valiant guards,
the bravest of the mighty warriors of Israel,
8 all of them expert swordsmen
and experienced in warfare,
each with his sword ready at his side
to guard against the terrors by night.[b]
9 King Solomon had made himself a carriage
from the wood of Lebanon.
10 He made its posts of silver,
its base of gold,
its seat of purple cloth,
and its framework inlaid with ivory.
11 Daughters of Zion,[c] come forth
and welcome King Solomon
as he wears the crown
that his mother had placed upon his head
on the day of his wedding,
on the day of his heart’s joy.
The Benefits of Godliness. 6 If you offer these instructions to the brethren, you will prove to be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself in godliness.
8 While physical training has some value, the benefits of godliness are unlimited, since it holds out promise not only for this life but also for the life to come. 9 This saying can be trusted and merits complete acceptance. 10 For this is why we toil and struggle, because we have placed our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all, especially of all those who believe.
11 Pastoral Duties. These are the things you must insist upon in your teaching. 12 Let no one regard you with contempt because of your youth, but serve as an example to the believers in your speech and conduct, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
13 Until I arrive, devote yourself to reading,[a] to exhortation, and to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that was bestowed upon you when, as a result of prophecy, the elders laid their hands on you.[b]
15 Meditate on these things and put them into practice so that your progress may be evident to everyone. 16 Be conscientious about your life and your teaching. Persevere in both of these tasks, for by doing so you will save both yourself and your listeners.
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